Forget about that right now. Instead, recall the first ghost story you ever heard. The one which scared you so much, you couldn't go to sleep. You spent the night awake, with the flashlight warding off whatever demons might be lurking in the shadows, just out of your sight.

In this exact situation, the first time I slept over at a friend's house, she told me a ghost story. The actual story was about a cat who would kill people in their sleep. Nowadays, that is quite lame. It didn't even have any demons, ghosts, or devils in it. But it scared me. All night long, I just knew that cat was going to come for me. The only thing I could do was prepare a way to protect myself from the potential horrors.

My very first ritual. "Go away, go away, go away, go away" said repeatedly, all night long, kept the cat from getting me. Over the years, the ritual developed.

"Monsters, ghouls and ghosts, stay away or else."

Talismans soon came into play. I knew I couldn't be harmed if I had my baby quilt with me, always. A lucky charm bracelet my aunt gave me replaced it. Then came my grandma's ring. All worked equally well in keeping the evil beasties at bay.

What do I do today? It seems the beasties have gotten more nebulous. No longer do I worry about cats who suck my breath. Or vampires, werewolves, ghosts, or goblins. How do I ward off debt? How do I ward off that psycho at work who lears at me in a most unsaviory fashion? What incantation, spell, or ritual will protect me from telemarketers? How about ex husbands who fail to pay child support?